We’ve all been there at one point or another in our lives . . . and some of us–more than we care to share.

There are those who are hell-bent on setting us up to fail, or wanting to hurt us. Smugly, they approach the mirror which reflects back to them their prideful look of a mission well-accomplished.

There are some very disrespectful people on this planet!

There are those whose self-inflated egos are so high in the sky that they seem capable of only looking down. What (or who) do they look down on? Everyone. In their high-mindedness, self-impressed selves no one is as wonderful or knowledgeable (or fill-in the blank) as they are. They judge others as if they had the right to judge, but only our Lord has that right . . . they’ve cursed us with their words and cast us all into the lake of fire–if only they could, they probably would. They are prideful know-it-alls operating in a haughty spirit. It makes them feel great to leave you and others in their wake of destruction, leaving you to feel quite small.

So there you sit, spinning wildly alone in your thoughts as you attempt to dissect and process the sting of their hurtful words, actions, or neglectful, cold, callous, uncaring behaviours.

It is in these times and in these types of circumstances and situations that we can grow and mature spiritually. We have the power to turn it around by shifting our focus from their lack of respect for us and others, to placing it right smack-dab into the Hand of the One Who Sees . . .

El Roi

In Genesis 16:7 we find Hagar, handmaid to Saria and Abram, by a fountain of water in the wilderness. The Angel of the Lord appeared to her, and asked her, “whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go?” Hagar replied saying, “I flee from the face of my mistress, Sarai.” The angel of the Lord then said unto her, “Return unto thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt cal his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.” . . . v. 13 Hagar responds–And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, “Thou God seest me:” for she said, “Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?”

Just as the Lord saw Hagar—all alone in the wilderness, in her state of emotional pain with the hurt she carried in her heart, the loneliness, perhaps even confusion as to why she was asked to leave, filled with fear of her uncertain future, and with a deep sadness in her soul—He also saw the injustices committed against her. ~ Therein lies the beauty! He is the God Who Sees! He sees all! Rest comfortably assured in knowing that nothing escapes our Lord’s vision.

Psalm 94:9 ~ He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

In my life, I am grateful to know El Roi, and am so comforted to know that not only does He see me and my hurts, my battles, my cries, scars and battle wounds, but He also sees and knows of the injustices committed against me—His precious child.

He sees you, too! He wants nothing more than to make things right for us. When someone comes against us—no matter how justified they believe themselves to be—He sees their hearts and knows their motives.

When you are wronged, or treated despicably, hang on! He sees you, and most importantly—He sees them, and their unwarranted injustices against you. Remind yourself to know He is with you.

He is our Shadow of a Great Rock in a Weary Land!

He covers us as an ever mighty shadow, casting Himself on top of us, over us—protecting us from the cold, calloused evil hearts and intents of those who would want to bring us harm, those who would want to hurt us, slander us, judge us, condemn us to hell, abuse us, come against us every which way but loose! . . . He will protect us from those who plot evil schemes against us as they devise and desire to ultimately wound us, leading us to our being discouraged, dejected, disparaged, depreciated, or destroyed.

We need not worry about the hearts and intents of other people’s actions. The Lord Sees All!

In 1 Samuel 16:7 we see El Roi again . . . this time He looks at the heart.

. . . for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

In Jeremiah 17:9-10, we also see that the Lord examines the heart.

. . . The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

. . . I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Psalm 34:15 tells us that the Lord sees and hears us.

. . . The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

For they speak against thee wickedly, [and] thine enemies take [thy name] in vain.

Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

In Genesis 29:32 ~ He sees our heart’s yearnings and our affliction.

. . . Leah conceived and bare a son, ad she called his name Rueben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore, my husband will love me. (Rueben means behold a son, for Jehovah has looked upon my affliction of being less loved by my husband than Rachel).

He roams the earth, to show Himself strong on our behalf, as we see here in 2 Chronicles 16:9 ~and Zechariah 4:10, respectively:

. . . For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

. . . For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel [with] those seven; they [are] the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

1 Peter 3:12 ~ For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Hebrews 4:13 ~ Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Proverbs 15:3 ~ The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Psalm 113:6 ~ [The Lord] Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

Psalm 14:2, Psalm 53:2 ~ The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

When the storms rage against you, and you find yourself caught in the vortex of a nasty tempest feeling like you cannot see Him, always remember He sees you!

Photo by Julie de Waroquier

EL ROI ~ THE GOD WHO SEES ME

He is our vindicator. He is our comforter. He is our Hiding Place from the Wind. He is our Resting Place. He is our Covert from the Tempest. He is our Ointment Poured Forth. He is our Strength and our Song. He is our Showers upon the earth. He is our High Tower. He is our Strong Rock. He is our King of Glory! He is Jehovah – Mighty in Battle. He is an Everlasting Rock–our Rock of Ages.

Dear Heavenly and Most Holy Father:

We ask that you not only protect us from the evil meant to hurt us, but that you would have us examine our own hearts so that we are not the perpetrator bringing offense to any of your precious children. We love you, Lord, and all that you stand for is pure, holy, and righteous. We know that you call us to love, and this is the greatest commandment of all, in that you ask of us to simply love our neighbor as ourselves. Help us to love ourselves as You love us so that we may then pour forth and extend that same love to others—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

As we seek to become more like You, please bless us with the necessary self-discipline to sit still as we quietly study your Holy Word so that we may reflect on our own lives, our own impurities, our own sinfulness.

Purify us, Lord, so that we may be that city on a hill, the salt of the earth, as we build and edify one another. Let us not seek to destroy the precious tender hearts of those whom you love. Let us shine so that they may see Your good works, and glorify You.

Allow us the grace to self-examine ourselves with the same scrutiny as we examine others for we are all guilty as charged in this area.

Cleanse our hearts, O Lord, and keep us from evil—both on the offense and on the defense. Let us not offend, and help us to not be offended. When this does happen, as we know it will, please send your loving touch to our hearts, minds, and souls so that we can correctly stand before You, without sinfulness or bitterness in our hearts. May we right this ship of offense, and when we are wronged, Lord, may we remember the story of Hagar, and how she marveled at the revelation that You are the God Who Sees.

May we strive to reach the lost, but also to love one another as You love us, Lord, for You are Love.

Let love be our greatest aim as we meander here on this earth, and until that day when we go to meet with you in the sky. ~ In the name of your Holy, precious, loving son, Jesus—Amen.

Romans 8:16-17: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

A blog reaching out to victims of abuse and others in need, providing insight about abuse, hope for the future, and guidance to see THE LIGHT that lead Secret Angel out of the darkness of her own abusive situation and helped her to not only survive but to overcome.